Endothelin-1 (ET-1) modulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which contributes to kidney tubulo-interstitial fibrosis in angiotensin II-dependent hypertension

The origin of myofibroblasts remains uncertain, but studies suggest that the epithelial cells may acquire a fibroblast-like phenotype via epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Objective of the study was to investigate whether EMT may contribute to the development of kidney fibrosis in a model of angiotensin II-dependent hypertension and to identify the role of ET-1 via ETA/ETB receptors. Transgenic rats TGRen2 (n=35) received for 4 weeks one of the following treatments a) irbesartan, b) bosentan, non selective ETA /ETB receptor antagonist, c) BMS-182874, selective ETA,antagonist, d) BMS+irbesartan, e) placebo. EMT was assessed by investigating coexpression of a marker of epithelial cell (E-cadherin) and one of myofibroblast (S100A4 or alfa-SMA) with double immunofluorescence. Specific immunoreactivity was measured using QWinStandard Leica ImageTMsoftware. A reduction in blood pressure was found only with irbesartan, whereas both bosentan and irbesartan significantly lowered tubulo-interstitial fibrosis. Coexpression of E-cadherin and S100A4, or E-cadherin and alfa-SMA, markedly decreased in the tubular cells of TGRen2 treated with irbesartan or bosentan. Alfa-SMA expression decreased after irbesartan, bosentan and BMS+irbesartan, but not after BMS. S100A4 expression was reduced after irbesartan, bosentan and BMS+irbesartan. E-cadherin increased only after irbesartan. Coexpression of the markers of myofibroblasts and kidney epithelial cells, by demonstrating the development of EMT during the onset of kidney hypertension-induced damage, suggests a crucial role of EMT in the pathogenesis of Ang II-mediated fibrosis. The reduction of myofibroblast markers not only after irbesartan, but also after blockade of ETA/ETB receptors, suggests an involvement of ET-1 in the development of Ang II-mediated EMT

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) modulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), which contributes to kidney tubulo-interstitial fibrosis in angiotensin II-dependent hypertension

The origin of myofibroblasts remains uncertain, but studies suggest that the epithelial cells may acquire a fibroblast-like phenotype via epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Objective of the study was to investigate whether EMT may contribute to the development of kidney fibrosis in a model of angiotensin II-dependent hypertension and to identify the role of ET-1 via ETA/ETB receptors. Transgenic rats TGRen2 (n=35) received for 4 weeks one of the following treatments a) irbesartan, b) bosentan, non selective ETA /ETB receptor antagonist, c) BMS-182874, selective ETA,antagonist, d) BMS+irbesartan, e) placebo. EMT was assessed by investigating coexpression of a marker of epithelial cell (E-cadherin) and one of myofibroblast (S100A4 or alfa-SMA) with double immunofluorescence. Specific immunoreactivity was measured using QWinStandard Leica ImageTMsoftware. A reduction in blood pressure was found only with irbesartan, whereas both bosentan and irbesartan significantly lowered tubulo-interstitial fibrosis. Coexpression of E-cadherin and S100A4, or E-cadherin and alfa-SMA, markedly decreased in the tubular cells of TGRen2 treated with irbesartan or bosentan. Alfa-SMA expression decreased after irbesartan, bosentan and BMS+irbesartan, but not after BMS. S100A4 expression was reduced after irbesartan, bosentan and BMS+irbesartan. E-cadherin increased only after irbesartan. Coexpression of the markers of myofibroblasts and kidney epithelial cells, by demonstrating the development of EMT during the onset of kidney hypertension-induced damage, suggests a crucial role of EMT in the pathogenesis of Ang II-mediated fibrosis. The reduction of myofibroblast markers not only after irbesartan, but also after blockade of ETA/ETB receptors, suggests an involvement of ET-1 in the development of Ang II-mediated EMT

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Impacts of the Tropical Pacific/Indian Oceans on the Seasonal Cycle of the West African Monsoon

The current consensus is that drought has developed in the Sahel during the second half of the twentieth century as a result of remote effects of oceanic anomalies amplified by local land–atmosphere interactions. This paper focuses on the impacts of oceanic anomalies upon West African climate and specifically aims to identify those from SST anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Oceans during spring and summer seasons, when they were significant. Idealized sensitivity experiments are performed with four atmospheric general circulation models (AGCMs). The prescribed SST patterns used in the AGCMs are based on the leading mode of covariability between SST anomalies over the Pacific/Indian Oceans and summer rainfall over West Africa. The results show that such oceanic anomalies in the Pacific/Indian Ocean lead to a northward shift of an anomalous dry belt from the Gulf of Guinea to the Sahel as the season advances. In the Sahel, the magnitude of rainfall anomalies is comparable to that obtained by other authors using SST anomalies confined to the proximity of the Atlantic Ocean. The mechanism connecting the Pacific/Indian SST anomalies with West African rainfall has a strong seasonal cycle. In spring (May and June), anomalous subsidence develops over both the Maritime Continent and the equatorial Atlantic in response to the enhanced equatorial heating. Precipitation increases over continental West Africa in association with stronger zonal convergence of moisture. In addition, precipitation decreases over the Gulf of Guinea. During the monsoon peak (July and August), the SST anomalies move westward over the equatorial Pacific and the two regions where subsidence occurred earlier in the seasons merge over West Africa. The monsoon weakens and rainfall decreases over the Sahel, especially in August.Peer reviewe

Search for heavy resonances decaying to two Higgs bosons in final states containing four b quarks

A search is presented for narrow heavy resonances X decaying into pairs of Higgs bosons (H) in proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at root s = 8 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb(-1). The search considers HH resonances with masses between 1 and 3 TeV, having final states of two b quark pairs. Each Higgs boson is produced with large momentum, and the hadronization products of the pair of b quarks can usually be reconstructed as single large jets. The background from multijet and t (t) over bar events is significantly reduced by applying requirements related to the flavor of the jet, its mass, and its substructure. The signal would be identified as a peak on top of the dijet invariant mass spectrum of the remaining background events. No evidence is observed for such a signal. Upper limits obtained at 95 confidence level for the product of the production cross section and branching fraction sigma(gg -> X) B(X -> HH -> b (b) over barb (b) over bar) range from 10 to 1.5 fb for the mass of X from 1.15 to 2.0 TeV, significantly extending previous searches. For a warped extra dimension theory with amass scale Lambda(R) = 1 TeV, the data exclude radion scalar masses between 1.15 and 1.55 TeV

Measurement of b jet shapes in proton-proton collisions at root s=5.02 TeV

We present the first study of charged-hadron production associated with jets originating from b quarks in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 5.02 TeV. The data sample used in this study was collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 27.4 pb(-1). To characterize the jet substructure, the differential jet shapes, defined as the normalized transverse momentum distribution of charged hadrons as a function of angular distance from the jet axis, are measured for b jets. In addition to the jet shapes, the per-jet yields of charged particles associated with b jets are also quantified, again as a function of the angular distance with respect to the jet axis. Extracted jet shape and particle yield distributions for b jets are compared with results for inclusive jets, as well as with the predictions from the pythia and herwig++ event generators.Peer reviewe

Measurement of the azimuthal anisotropy of Y(1S) and Y(2S) mesons in PbPb collisions at root s(NN)=5.02 TeV

The second-order Fourier coefficients (v(2)) characterizing the azimuthal distributions of Y(1S) and Y(2S) mesons produced in PbPb collisions at root s(NN) = 5.02 TeV are studied. The Y mesons are reconstructed in their dimuon decay channel, as measured by the CMS detector. The collected data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.7 nb(-1). The scalar product method is used to extract the v2 coefficients of the azimuthal distributions. Results are reported for the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar < 2.4, in the transverse momentum interval 0 < pT < 50 GeV/c, and in three centrality ranges of 10-30%, 30-50% and 50-90%. In contrast to the J/psi mesons, the measured v(2) values for the Y mesons are found to be consistent with zero. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

MUSiC : a model-unspecific search for new physics in proton-proton collisions at root s=13TeV

Results of the Model Unspecific Search in CMS (MUSiC), using proton-proton collision data recorded at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1), are presented. The MUSiC analysis searches for anomalies that could be signatures of physics beyond the standard model. The analysis is based on the comparison of observed data with the standard model prediction, as determined from simulation, in several hundred final states and multiple kinematic distributions. Events containing at least one electron or muon are classified based on their final state topology, and an automated search algorithm surveys the observed data for deviations from the prediction. The sensitivity of the search is validated using multiple methods. No significant deviations from the predictions have been observed. For a wide range of final state topologies, agreement is found between the data and the standard model simulation. This analysis complements dedicated search analyses by significantly expanding the range of final states covered using a model independent approach with the largest data set to date to probe phase space regions beyond the reach of previous general searches.Peer reviewe

Measurement of prompt open-charm production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

The production cross sections for prompt open-charm mesons in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV are reported. The measurement is performed using a data sample collected by the CMS experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 29 nb(-1). The differential production cross sections of the D*(+/-), D-+/-, and D-0 ((D) over bar (0)) mesons are presented in ranges of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity 4 < p(T) < 100 GeV and vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.1, respectively. The results are compared to several theoretical calculations and to previous measurements.Peer reviewe

Measurement of the top quark forward-backward production asymmetry and the anomalous chromoelectric and chromomagnetic moments in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV

Abstract The parton-level top quark (t) forward-backward asymmetry and the anomalous chromoelectric (d̂ t) and chromomagnetic (μ̂ t) moments have been measured using LHC pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected in the CMS detector in a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb−1. The linearized variable AFB(1) is used to approximate the asymmetry. Candidate t t ¯ events decaying to a muon or electron and jets in final states with low and high Lorentz boosts are selected and reconstructed using a fit of the kinematic distributions of the decay products to those expected for t t ¯ final states. The values found for the parameters are AFB(1)=0.048−0.087+0.095(stat)−0.029+0.020(syst),μ̂t=−0.024−0.009+0.013(stat)−0.011+0.016(syst), and a limit is placed on the magnitude of | d̂ t| &lt; 0.03 at 95% confidence level. [Figure not available: see fulltext.